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Record of Proceedings

Rock Springs City Council Meeting – September 16, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, September 16, 2026
BodyRock Springs, Wyoming
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, September 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:39

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

All right, what do we just do the flag of the United States of America?

0:06

To the Republic for which it stands one nation undervisible with liberty justice for all.

0:15

Alex, may we please have a roll call?

0:17

Councillor Bingham.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Councillor Pedrie.

0:21

Councillor Hanson.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Councillor Zadi.

0:24

Here.

0:24

Counselor Hickerson.

0:25

Here.

0:26

Counselor Demas.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Counselor Malonas.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Councillor Thompson.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Mayor Mickelson.

0:32

Here.

0:32

Thank you, Alex.

0:34

For council updates, I'll begin on my left with Councillor Bingham.

0:39

There you go.

0:40

Thank you, Your Honor.

0:41

So pretty light couple of weeks for me.

0:44

So had a federal partners meeting, met with some of the federal agencies and discussed the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan.

0:51

We have a cooperators meeting coming up this in a couple of weeks, I believe.

0:56

And so we'll be doing that.

0:58

And then the other time was spent.

1:00

Had some constituents reach out.

1:02

Had some questions about our bidding process.

1:04

And then also working on the draft of the e-bike regulations, which I appreciate.

1:11

Fellow counselor's comments.

1:12

That's all I have, Your Honor.

1:14

Thank you, Councillor Bingham.

1:15

Counselor Hansen.

1:17

Thank you, Your Honor.

1:18

I had several uh nuisance complaints that we've uh forwarded and and uh had success, hopefully in getting those taken care of.

1:26

Um Young at Heart at the uh uh Young at Heart Community Center.

1:30

We've had several committees, finance committee, uh recruitment, uh uh several meetings to kind of keep that up and going.

1:37

They also had their open houses last Saturday, which was into success.

1:41

Um, along with the chamber, I went to the chamber luncheon uh last week when they had the uh uh school board uh one and uh school board two um guys there that uh gave a great presentation.

1:56

So that's pretty much been it for me, also.

1:59

Thank you, Councillor Hansen, Councillor Zottie.

2:02

Thank you, Your Honor.

2:03

Uh for me it was light week as well.

2:05

Uh like a couple weeks.

2:07

Um e-bike review of the ordinance.

2:10

I did have a call from constituent concerning a recent bid.

2:13

Um, other than that, it was fairly quiet, and I had actually been out of town extended for the last couple weekends and during the week working in that.

2:21

So not much to report this time.

2:25

Thank you, Councillor Zotti.

2:27

Counselor Hickerson.

2:28

Thank you, Your Honor.

2:30

I uh as well did the review.

2:32

Um, I did get a call on the AML stuff and asked when it was gonna be done, and it was finished up the next day.

2:38

So then just one more call on the e-bikes.

2:41

People seem to be really hot and heavy on them.

2:43

Other than that, it was really, really quiet.

2:45

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Public Engagement███████████████████████████27%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Safety████████8%
Tourism████4%
Transportation Safety████4%
Personnel Matters████4%
Mental Health Awareness██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Rock Springs City Council Meeting – September 16, 2026

The Rock Springs City Council met on September 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM (local time) for a regular business meeting. The meeting included council member activity reports, approval of the consent agenda, bid openings, public comments, and several resolutions and ordinances. Council members reported on community events, nuisance complaints, and ongoing projects. Public comment focused on the Civic Center gym closure, noise complaints, and community announcements. The council approved road closures for local events, several resolutions for infrastructure and equipment, and introduced two ordinances.

Council Member Activity Reports

  • Councilor Bingham attended a federal partners meeting regarding the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, has a cooperators meeting upcoming, and is working on draft e-bike regulations.
  • Councilor Hansen forwarded nuisance complaints, attended finance and recruitment committee meetings, and participated in the Young at Heart Community Center open house and Chamber luncheon.
  • Councilor Zadi reviewed e-bike ordinance and took a constituent call about a recent bid.
  • Councilor Hickerson reviewed e-bike issues, received a call on AML (Abandoned Mine Lands) work that was completed the next day.
  • Councilor Demas attended an NG 911 feasibility meeting (next generation digital IP-based 911 system), participated in the 9-11 memorial walk, and presented a proclamation for a church's 145th anniversary.
  • Councilor Malonas praised the police department for posting nuisance complaints online, visited the new arcade at the movie theater, attended the Wyoming State Motocross Championships (over 400 riders), and visited the senior center (serves over 300 meals/day, $5,000/week on food).
  • Councilor Thompson discussed constituent contacts about street lights, haunted house fire code issues, attended the Chamber luncheon and 9-11 walk, and participated in an adult education and literacy proclamation.
  • Mayor Mickelson joked about a knife injury while grilling, attended part of the 9-11 walk, and missed the senior center open house due to a funeral.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the revised agenda (including a Rock Springs Fire Department activity report) unanimously.
  • Approved consent agenda unanimously, including minutes from September 1, 2026; appointments: Jordan Allen as interim city attorney; Leon Wolfwalker to the Building Code Board of Appeals (third term); Jeannie Demas to the Sweetwater County Tripartite Board (first term); Nicole Hartford and Rosa Rainier Pugh to the Urban Renewal Agency Commission; various financial and departmental reports for August 2026; and meeting minutes.

Bid Openings

  • 2026 Concrete Replacement Phase 2: Three bids received: $1,089,500 (bid bond included), $1,117,275 (Madsen Construction, Rock Springs), and another bid. Referred to staff for evaluation and recommendation.
  • 2026 Crack Seal Phase 2: Three bids: $120,350.75 (Z and Z Seal Coating, Billings, MT), $106,481.40 (Asphalt Preservation, West Haven, UT), and a bid from RD Sweeping and Asphalt Maintenance (Rock Springs). Staff will evaluate.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tiana Gandhi announced several community events: Sweetwater Prevention Coalition meeting on September 17; Sam Dema event on September 17; women's club comfort bag stuffing on September 22; Baktosh Ahadi film screening at Western Wyoming College with a discussion with Mayor Mickelson; a sticky note station for suicide prevention at the college; and the Bosey's Concert Association concerts. She noted that Rock Springs Food Bank donations are going well and they are exploring expansion to Green River.
  • Wendell Minkler spoke about two issues: (1) He attended a meeting about recycling plastic bags; the city will install drop boxes and a scale at the landfill for efficiency with no extra cost. (2) He complained about excessively loud mufflers on motorcycles and pickups, saying it hurt his ears and is illegal. He asked why enforcement is lacking. Mayor Mickelson responded that enforcement requires sufficient police staffing (over 120 paved miles of roads), and encouraged citizens to report license plates of offending vehicles so nuisance officers can follow up.
  • Jackie Wells spoke about the potential closure of the Civic Center gym. She provided usage charts showing high use, especially in winter for youth development and volleyball. She asked if the Rec Center could accommodate all the programs and urged keeping the gym open. She noted the gym has two exits, bathrooms, handicap accessibility, and a climbing wall not at the Rec Center. Mayor Mickelson responded that the city is exploring other venues (Young at Heart Community Center, school district, college) to preserve services; the climbing wall is being looked at by Director Sieverd; the closure is driven by deferred maintenance costs, not a desire to eliminate programs. Councilor Malonas thanked her for her presentation.

New Business

  • Road closure for Western Whisk Cheesecake Co. – Cars and Cheesecakes: Approved unanimously for September 18, 2026, 6-9 PM at 137 C Street.
  • Road closure for Western Whisk Cheesecake Co. – Sidewalk Sunday: Approved unanimously for September 27, 2026, 10 AM-4 PM. Council discussed complaints from other downtown businesses about competition from food trucks and beverage trucks. Mayor Mickelson stated that the free market should decide and the city should not pick winners. Councilor Malonas noted these times (weekday evening and Sunday) should not conflict with business operations.
  • Poor House extended serving area for Randy Weimer Car Show: Approved unanimously for September 26, 2026, 8 AM-9 PM.

Resolutions (all approved unanimously unless noted)

  • Resolution 2026-123: Cemetery lighting replacement project with Bodek Inc. – approved after confirming compliance with specifications.
  • Resolution 2026-124: Drainage easement from Yolanda Laredo for Kilpecker Creek channel improvements – approved. Councilor Malonas requested final plans; Director Kalcich explained the detention basin is separate and plans are in preliminary design.
  • Resolution 2026-125: Lease agreement with Bancorp for five police patrol vehicles (4-year lease) – approved. Officer Nielsen clarified the $190,000+ covers all five vehicles for all four years.
  • Resolution 2026-126: Service agreement with Merchant McIntyre and Associates LLC for grant services – approved. The fee increased by $4,500 due to rising costs; the city can likely cover it from existing budget. Councilor Bingham noted the service has been very beneficial (return on investment).
  • Resolution 2026-127: Agreement for Civic Center Stair and Handrail Replacement Project – approved.

Ordinances (first readings, no action taken)

  • Ordinance 2026-09: Amends personnel policies (Selection of Employees) – opened for discussion, no comments.
  • Ordinance 2026-10: Creates a Special Mall Beverage Permit in Title 11 (Alcoholic Beverages) – introduced. Mayor Mickelson explained it is a new type of liquor license requested by the Sweetwater County Events Complex to simplify permitting for events. Councilor Zadi clarified it provides a one-year permit for centers like the events complex, replacing the need for multi-day 24-hour permits. Further discussion was held.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda, revised agenda, and all resolutions passed unanimously.
  • Road closure requests for Western Whisk Cheesecake Co. and the Poor House car show were approved unanimously.
  • Bids for concrete replacement and crack seal phase 2 were opened and referred to staff for evaluation.
  • Bills, claims, and salaries were approved (salaries approved with Councilor Thompson abstaining).
  • Two ordinances received first readings; no final action was taken.

Note: Councilor Petrie was absent, attending a volleyball match in Edmonton.

Meeting Transcript

All right, what do we just do the flag of the United States of America? To the Republic for which it stands one nation undervisible with liberty justice for all. Alex, may we please have a roll call? Councillor Bingham. Here. Councillor Pedrie. Councillor Hanson. Here. Councillor Zadi. Here. Counselor Hickerson. Here. Counselor Demas. Here. Counselor Malonas. Here. Councillor Thompson. Here. Mayor Mickelson. Here. Thank you, Alex. For council updates, I'll begin on my left with Councillor Bingham. There you go. Thank you, Your Honor. So pretty light couple of weeks for me. So had a federal partners meeting, met with some of the federal agencies and discussed the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan. We have a cooperators meeting coming up this in a couple of weeks, I believe. And so we'll be doing that. And then the other time was spent. Had some constituents reach out. Had some questions about our bidding process. And then also working on the draft of the e-bike regulations, which I appreciate. Fellow counselor's comments. That's all I have, Your Honor. Thank you, Councillor Bingham. Counselor Hansen. Thank you, Your Honor. I had several uh nuisance complaints that we've uh forwarded and and uh had success, hopefully in getting those taken care of. Um Young at Heart at the uh uh Young at Heart Community Center. We've had several committees, finance committee, uh recruitment, uh uh several meetings to kind of keep that up and going. They also had their open houses last Saturday, which was into success. Um, along with the chamber, I went to the chamber luncheon uh last week when they had the uh uh school board uh one and uh school board two um guys there that uh gave a great presentation. So that's pretty much been it for me, also. Thank you, Councillor Hansen, Councillor Zottie. Thank you, Your Honor. Uh for me it was light week as well. Uh like a couple weeks. Um e-bike review of the ordinance. I did have a call from constituent concerning a recent bid. Um, other than that, it was fairly quiet, and I had actually been out of town extended for the last couple weekends and during the week working in that.

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